


These Things With You

by ahhhhrexa



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Argentina National Team, FC Barcelona, Football | Soccer, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-19 03:24:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16526414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahhhhrexa/pseuds/ahhhhrexa
Summary: Leo is quiet, but that doesn't mean he's a type to get intimidated.But then he met Javier Mascherano.-And the journey began.





	1. First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> I know I'm a little late to the challenge, but I just figured this out so yeah. I'm going to base this one on my favorite ship that isn't Pep/Lucho. Hope you all enjoy!

Leo doesn’t get intimidated easily. People think that he does just because he’s shy, but that’s not the case. He’s quiet, yes, only because he thinks before he speaks. He watches and waits to make sure that he can express himself sincerely without the pitfalls of impulsivity. 

No, he wouldn’t say he was a type to get intimidated. 

But then he met Javier Mascherano.

The man seems normal, unassuming in comparison to the other senior members, a person that prefers to be on his way without causing trouble. Some may say that he’s a gentle man, with a smile that portrays sincerity and bashfulness. A hard working kind of man who takes his bumps and keeps on going. 

But Leo sees things that others don’t.

He doesn’t miss the shake in Mascherano's right hand when he’s irritated. Nor does he forget the twitch in his lips, a wrinkle on the forehead, and the flashes of emotion amplifying in his eyes when he’s nervous. The way the man pulls back his shoulders, elongates his neck, and juts out his chin when he’s ready to fight doesn't escape his notice either. 

All of this is like the waves on the sand. A wave of civility may come to shore but it retreats fast to be replaced by the wave of fury. Over and over again it repeats, like he’s walking on a line, swaying back and forth to the rhythm, almost tipping over from one side to the next. That's Javier Mascherano as a being, uncompromising in his tendancies. 

Leo, being young, he stays close to those like him; not weighed too heavily by the world, still bright in the eyes, still only secure in being one thing. He refrains from ruffling anyone’s feathers, chooses to be agreeable and compatible. He knows what he sees in those waves and remains cautious of touching them. He knows many have touched those waves and the reactions varied, but they showed agreement in two things. 

Intimidation is palpable and when it seeps into you, it's hard to shake it off. 

And then one day it happens, where Mascherano smiles at him, and he instantly feels the tide sweep over him.


	2. First Conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very slow at updating so my apologies, but don't worry, I will finish this. Thank you for reading the first chapter and I hope you enjoy this one. This one has a little different vibe from the first chapter, and the following chapters may be different too. I'm experimenting with different writing style and point of views. Anyways, thank you all again!

With a touch Leo receives the ball with ease from the goalkeeper. He looks around at those beside him, debating on whether he should pass or not. It wouldn’t hurt his side if he passed, but he knows his feet are fast and if he pushes forward into the space that the other side are leaving open, it would lead to a better result. 

It’s only a training session, but they’re down by one and he wouldn’t have that. He likes to win, and he wants to show the mister his worth. So he ignores the wave from his teammate and surges onward. 

He moves to the side when a defender tries to intercept the ball from him. A little pain reaches his ankles at the attempt. Many have told him that he could fall at the contact, but that never has been his way. The pain will go away eventually, but the opportunity to score a goal might not come again. 

The wind brushes against him as he runs along the wing. He doesn’t have to look down to know that the ball hasn’t moved far from his feet. Running with the ball is more natural to him than being without it. He can go one way or another with certainty that the ball wouldn’t be an inch away from his heels. 

Excitement rises within him. He can see it now. Just one move to the right, a feint to the left, a little pull away from a defender, and then he can make the strike. He shifts to the right, letting the next defender fall to the side, and he comes up against the goalkeeper one on one. 

He knows the next move now. It’s one that he’s done time and time again. The confidence in him grows as he prepares to make the final stroke. But before he could, he felt his legs get swept from under him. 

Leo curses under his breath and closes his eyes as he lay on the grass. If he hadn’t been interrupted, he knows for sure that he would have equalized for his team. He wonders who tackled him; he thinks he might have a word or two about how hard it was. 

But he can think a lot of things. They are only thoughts. He isn’t one for confrontation on the pitch anyways. So he’ll just let it go. Besides, there’s still a lot left in the game anyway. And he knows that next time no one will be able to stop him.

Maybe he’ll just lay there until one of his teammates help him up. The tackle did hurt and he needs a little rest. He doubts one of the coaches would give him a yellow or the equivalent of a yellow to him for taking his time. The worst thing that could happen is that he gets a little scolding. 

But before he could enjoy his moment of relaxation, he feels a sudden presence hovering over him. He squirms, sensing a sort of familiarity to it, and he debates whether to open his eyes or not. He eventually decides to cover his face with his hands and waits. 

“Did I hurt you?”

Gulping as his throat suddenly went dry, Leo peeks through his fingers to see Javier Mascherano looking down at him. The wind seems to disappear then, abandoning him to the water, as he lays on the grass vulnerable to whatever would want to get at him.

Mascherano has hard eyes, despite the way his voice sounded concerned, and his hands lay upon his sides, almost clutching at his clothes to steady himself. He looks so much bigger now than before. 

And Leo is so much smaller.

“I’m okay.” Leo says quickly, as he removes his hands from his face. He feels shy, more than usual, and he wants to get out of the way. But with Mascherano standing there, looking at him like that, he doesn’t have the power to move. 

“Hmm.” Mascherano nods, a flicker of something passes in his eyes, and walks away.

Lying on the ground, heavily breathing, Leo wonders about what just happened. 

For some odd reason, he feels like he didn’t just miss his chance at scoring a goal.


End file.
